Dumping Syndrome - Intolerance to Sugar After a Gastric Bypass

After a gastric bypass, many people become intolerant to sugar. It doesn't happen to everyone, but does happen to many people. When they eat sugar, they experience something called "dumping syndrome."

Symptoms of dumping syndrome include a rapid heartbeat, sweating, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness, faintness, and fatigue. Not all of these symptoms will be experienced by everyone who dumps, however. Symptoms can last for anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours. Even when the dumping syndrome passes, the person may continue to feel unwell.

It should be noted that not all nausea after a gastric bypass is caused by dumping syndrome. Eating too much food at one time or eating too fast can cause nausea and vomiting. Certain foods may upset the stomach, causing nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea with the rapid heartbeat, sweating, and dizziness common with dumping syndrome. Certain foods may also cause stomach pain. Not chewing your food well enough can also cause stomach pain. Eating too quickly, drinking through straws, drinking carbonated beverages, or chewing gum can introduce too much air into the stomach and cause gas pains.

Dumping syndrome is usually caused by eating too much sugar, although it may also be caused by eating greasy foods or foods high in fat. The only way to know if you will dump on a certain food is to try it and see. Of course, you may not want to take the chance of dumping and just avoid the likely culprits altogether.

Obviously dumping syndrome can be caused by sweets like cakes, candies, cookies, chocolate, and ice cream. But there are other foods that may have high sugar content that may surprise you. Some possible culprits include barbeque sauce, spaghetti sauce, baked beans, and protein bars. Soda can also cause dumping (soda is best avoided anyway, including diet soda, because the carbonation can cause gas pain). Many people also dump on bananas for some reason. You might also dump on fruit juice (you can dilute fruit juice with water to reduce the risk of dumping).

Some people who dump immediately following surgery stop dumping after a while. Others continue to dump long-term. Many people actually prefer to dump, because it serves as a deterrent from eating unhealthy foods. Once you dump once, you'll likely do anything you can to avoid it.

If you do experience dumping syndrome, don't get too upset. It will pass. Lying down with a cold cloth on your head can help. You can try taking Tums or Rolaids for nausea. Often nothing will help but time, however.

Your best bet is to avoid foods that can cause dumping. The foods that usually cause dumping are usually high in fat and calories, so avoiding them will help with your weight loss as well. You can use an artificial sweetener like Splenda, and you can purchase sugar free snacks such as cookies. Recipes designed for diabetics will serve you well. You can also substitute Splenda or another artificial sweetener for sugar in recipes. With a little creativity, you can create tasty foods that are not likely to cause dumping.